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by Dave Haber, Wizard News Wizard

Much has been written in the last few weeks, and I agree, of the wonderful contributions to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by the new members of the Harry Potter family, including Michael Gambon, Gary Oldman, David Thewliss, and Alfonso Cuaron.

However, there are several other new faces in Prisoner of Azkaban that make the new movie special, and I think I'd be remiss if I didn't point out their contributions here.

Basically, in order of appearance in the movie:

First we have Pam Ferris as Aunt Marge. Previously the wicked Agatha Trunchbull in Matilda, Pam Ferris gets even nastier, if that's possible, as she orders Harry around with the simple snap of her finger. Pam Ferris' Aunt Marge is really easy for us to hate, and everyone loves it as we see her flying away high over Little Whinging.

Next, there is Lee Ingleby as Stan Shunpike. Lee has created a Stan Shunpike that looked to me as if he'd walked right out of the pages of J.K.'s book. The way he lazily points to his name tag as he says his name while reading his little written speech. "Choo fall over for?" as he glances up from his speech for the first time. "Choo lookin' at?" as he peers around the back of the Knight Bus with Harry. Wonderful.

 Lee Ingleby as Stan Shunpike

We move next into The Leaky Cauldron, where Jim Tavaré appears as Tom, the inkeeper. Quite the opposite of Lee Ingleby's spot-on Stan Shunpike, Jim takes Tom comedically way over the top, with a hump bigger than Quasimodo. Harry's afraid he's about to be arrested and Tom is cheerfully offering him tea and biscuits. When Fudge suggests Tom should show Harry to his room, Tom literally grabs him and whisks him away. Another wonderful performance that makes me wish even more that I could visit Diagon Alley some day.

By the way, did you notice Ian Brown of the Stone Roses in the Leaky Cauldron stirring his tea magically with his finger? That's the kind of perks you can get when you're pals with the director!

And then, back at Hogwarts, and what's the hold up on the stairs?! It's the Fat Lady, and she'd rather sing than listen to passwords! British comedienne Dawn French is the new Fat Lady, and she makes the most out of her two little scenes, adding a whole new funny and, from the perspective of the Gryffindors, annoying dimension to what was previously the utilitarian function of the Fat Lady protecting the entrance to the Gryffindor common room.

A quick footnote, Warner Bros. themselves, in a press release in February, announced that English TV comedian Paul Whitehouse would play Sir Cadogan, the befuddled knight, and his name does appear in the credits. But in the movie, we only see Sir Cadogan galloping around in the background while everyone is searching for the missing Fat Lady after being attacked by Sirius. We hope we'll see more of Paul's Sir Cadogan on the DVD.

 Emma Thompson as Sybil Trelawney

Finally, the ex-wife of Kenneth Branagh, last year's wonderful new character Gilderoy Lockhart, Emma Thompson conjures up a wonderfully batty Sybil Trelawney, while at the same time manages to create one of the movie's best edge-of-your seat frightening moments, when she unknowingly has a real premonition.

All of these performances add to the enjoyment of this great new Harry Potter film. Watch for them when you see Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban!

Published June 7, 2004

This article is Copyright © 2004, David Haber, and may not be reproduced on other web sites or in print, in whole or in part, without expressed permission

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